Same goal, different paths: Contrasting approaches to AI regulation in China and India

This paper is a comparative analysis of how two leading developing nations, China and India, are proposing to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Despite similarity in circumstances as large developing economies aiming to upgrade their technology sectors and create jobs, the two countries have taken significantly different approaches to AI regulation. Based on interest group theory, we argue that contrasting problem definitions—predominantly in terms of economic competitiveness and national security in China and as applications in India—resulted in the recruitment of very different decision-making groups in the two countries; homogeneous groups of technocrats and security specialists in China and a broader group including consumer advocates in India. This in turn resulted in ambitious and deep policy changes in China and relatively incremental and consensus-based moves in India.